Republican-American staff members received eight awards Thursday from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists at the organization's annual dinner, held this year in North Haven. The newspaper competed against other daily newspapers with circulations exceeding 40,000.

Tracey O'Shaughnessy, associate features editor, and Robert Falcetti, assistant managing editor for photography and graphics, took first place in the in-depth series category for "A locked-in love." The series of stories and photographs chronicled the struggles of Naugatuck resident Robert Veillette and his family following a severe stroke. Veillette, the former managing editor of the Republican-American, was left paralyzed following a stroke in 2006. His condition is called "locked-in syndrome" because his only ability to communicate is through blinking his eyes. In 2012 doctors implanted a sensor in Veillette's brain, eventually allowing him to move a robotic arm by using his thoughts.

Reporter Penelope Overton won first place in "general reporting series" for her stories about Waterbury's lead paint remediation program, which became the subject of a federal investigation into rules violations and no-bid deals.

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